


we're trying to float

by kaeg



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Casual Intimacy, Flirting, M/M, Malec, Slow Dancing, magnus teaches alec to use makeup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 02:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaeg/pseuds/kaeg
Summary: Alec became closely acquainted with fingers brushing along his jaw, or his cheekbones, and had to keep himself from leaning into the small touches.‘Why can’t I see it yet?’Magnus smiled. ‘It’s a surprise, darling. But you’re going to love it, I swear.’(or: alec, magnus, and adventures in makeup. title from 'party tattoos' by dodie clark.)





	we're trying to float

**Author's Note:**

> can you believe i'm terrified to get magnus and alec's characterization wrong in this???? cos boy howdy, you better believe it!! i spent a good couple weeks on this cos i wanted to get them right SO BAD asdfghjkl. 
> 
> a couple months ago, i got asked to write a fic where alec gets magnus to teach him makeup, and for weeks he feigns ignorance to the subject and pretends he still doesn't get it because he loves magnus' little look of concentration and the way he touches alec's face. this is basically veeerryyy vaguely based on that prompt. with some slowdancing, cos i had to.
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!

 Alec looked down at the eyeshadow palette in front of him, the sharp point of the eyeliner pen, and the small jar of glitter, all lined up. Pushed somewhere toward the back of the counter was a liquid concealer and a foundation, barely used, with an assortment of brushes—some large and fluffy, others thin and precise—tossed into a woven basket.

Alec fiddled with a small angled brush, twirling it between his fingers with his eyes on Magnus’ reflection in the mirror. There was something about Magnus doing his own makeup that was so mesmerizing, Alec realized. He was completely immersed in his actions, all soft hands and adorable facial expressions, and Alec could have sat there all day, watching Magnus make art with glowing powders.

‘Watching somebody like that gives a man all kinds of ideas, Alexander.’

Alec’s eyes flicked away from the mirror to meet Magnus’, a soft blush creeping up his neck. There was a soft kind of adoration hidden behind Magnus’ smirk as he pulled his legs up onto the bars of the stool. 

‘How are you so  _ good  _ at—’ Alec leaned on the counter by his elbows, gesturing with one hand toward Magnus—‘that?’

Magnus smiled, lightly pressing a thin makeup brush into a dark blue eyeshadow. ‘Decades of practice, Alexander, and the appreciation of advancements in cosmetics. I still have traumatic memories of applying blush with sheep’s wool.’

Alec bounced in his seat slightly, reaching over to pick up a lipstick, eyeing it curiously. ‘I just dunno how to do any of this. I always wanted to try it at home, with Izzy, but...’

‘I assume Maryse and Robert wouldn’t have approved.’ Alec nodded, and Magnus gave him a look of sympathy. ‘Or anyone else in the Institute, for that matter. It’s hard to forget that you shadowhunters aren’t been the most forward-thinking.’

‘Mm, yeah.’ Alec shrugged. ‘And I wasn’t really...uh,  _ out  _ then, either, and I didn’t want anyone to be suspicious or anything.’ 

‘You didn’t want to fan the flame. That’s totally understandable.’

Magnus took out a small container of glitter, and Alec went back to watching him in the mirror, resting his chin in his hand. 

When he was younger, Alec spent weeks trying to build up the courage to buy makeup. He would stall in the streets with an invisibility rune activated, peering into drugstore windows, wondering if anybody would notice or care at the Institute. He stopped in shopping malls and thought about how easy it’d be to go into a store and ask to get his makeup done; something simple, that would probably go unnoticed by the masses. He remembered spotting Izzy’s collection one day, and almost allowed himself to run off with an eyeshadow palette, but fear of humiliation got the best of him.

He’d grown up believing that makeup was feminine, and that he wasn’t, as if it was a weakness or something to be embarrassed of. At first, Alec assumed it was some kind of stereotype that had developed from inside the Clave, but then he began to truly notice the mundanes. He heard them speak, heard the slurs they used. He knew Robert would’ve scoffed, looked at Alec with disappointment in his eyes, and deemed him unfit for running the Institute. 

But Magnus didn’t care about humiliation or embarrassment, as long as he was happy. He was as powerful as he was beautiful, and let everyone know it. 

He was free, and Alec wanted to be free, too. 

‘Magnus?’ Alec’s voice must’ve come out softer than anticipated, for Magnus paused and turned toward him. ‘Could you, ah...do this for me?’

Alec gestured toward the counter, at the different bottles and vials. Magnus’ eyes followed his movements, and then turned toward Alec with a gentle smile.

‘You want me to do your makeup for you, Alec?’

Alec’s head was bowed, now, and he could feel Magnus’ eyes on him. ‘Yeah, but I mean, you don’t-’

‘I’d be delighted to.’

Alec’s head flew up, and his wide eyes met Magnus’ kind ones. ‘Really?’

‘Of course.’ Magnus was already reaching across the counter, moving away bottles and taking out new ones. He was smiling— _ beaming,  _ almost, with his eyes crinkling at the edges. ‘I’d like nothing more, Alexander.’

And Alec suddenly found himself grinning, too. 

 

* * *

 

 

Alec’s eyes were closed as he spoke. ‘What time is it?’

‘Just after nine.’

‘When are we leaving?’

‘Anytime we want to, but I think leaving around ten seems appropriate.’  Magnus’ necklace gently brushed against Alec’s knee as he leaned closer, doing the finishing touches to— 

Well, to  _ whatever  _ he was doing. Alec assumed it was eyeliner, but he wasn’t very sure.

Alec started bouncing up and down in his seat, impatient. ‘What does it look like?’

Magnus laughed, and he pressed his hand to Alec’s shoulder, thumb brushing over Alec’s collarbone. ‘Open your eyes for me, darling.’

Alec did as told, and found Magnus staring at him, hands clasped, proud and smiling.

‘You look beautiful, Alexander. The entire club will be all over you.’

‘You too,’ Alec said, reacquainting himself with Magnus’ outfit for the night. His dark green shirt was left mostly open, tucked into a pair of black pants. An assortment of rings and an ear cuff lay on the table next to them, and his boots stood at the door. ‘Uh, you look beautiful, too. I mean, you always do, but, y’know.’

A gentle blush crept up to Alec’s cheeks as soon as he’d spoken, but Magnus’ expression seemed to brighten at his words. 

‘Why, thank you, Alec.’

For another while, Alec knew nothing but Magnus’ face of concentration. He became closely acquainted with fingers brushing along his jaw, or his cheekbones, and had to keep himself from leaning into the small touches.

But Alec had problems with his patience, and resorted to bouncing his leg as Magnus pressed two fingers to the bottom of Alec’s jaw and moved his head slightly. ‘Why can’t I see it yet?’

Magnus smiled. ‘It’s a surprise, darling. But you’re going to love it, I swear.’

But then, after a moment’s consideration, Magnus moved closer and pressed his lips to Alec’s. It didn’t quite work; both of them were grinning like idiots, and didn’t want to ruin their makeup. It was messy and unplanned, but also familiar in a way that left them lingering, breathing in each other’s air.

Alec’s eyes fluttered open slowly, to reveal Magnus gently gripping the collar of his shirt, voice a whisper. ‘Now, no more questions. Even though you’re adorable when you ask them, I’d quite like to get this done, so we can show you off to the world.’

 

* * *

 

 

The two returned from dinner as the summer sun disappeared behind towering buildings. Hands linked in a tight hold, they moved over to the balcony doors as if in sync with each other’s movements. Just as Magnus threw open the door, Alec pressed a gentle kiss to his temple and stepped back into the room, releasing Magnus’ hand from his own.

‘I’ll be back out in a minute,’ Alec murmured as he pressed two quick kisses to Magnus’ lips. ‘Go get settled.’

And within minutes of settling on the balcony, a drink in his hand and eyes focused on the city lights, Magnus heard approaching footsteps. 

Alec approached, sat down beside Magnus, and produced a bag of makeup from behind his back with a shy smile. Only then did Magnus notice that Alec’s face was clear of any and all makeup he’d been wearing previously.

Magnus started laughing, then, and scooted forward to press his forehead against Alec’s shoulder. ‘You’re ridiculous, Alexander.’

Alec fumbled for Magnus’ hand, fiddling with one of his rings. ‘Mhm, I think I’ve been told that before, once or twice.’

Magnus huffed and shook his head, but continued to grin. ‘It’s late, darling, and you know how to do your own makeup. You did it this morning.’

‘You can do it nicer, though. I forget to use primer, and I can’t do eyeliner, or...what’s the other thing that goes with contour?’

‘Highlighter?’

‘Mm, yeah, that. Highlighter looks really nice. Shiny.’ Alec paused, and then quietly giggled at his own words. 

The sound was so childish and lovely that Magnus sat up and cocked his head, maintaining contact. ‘Are you drunk, darling? We only had a few cocktails, and you almost ruined a tablecloth with one.’

‘No, I’m just happy we’re here, together.’ Alec’s spoke with such honesty, even in a slightly tipsy state, that Magnus was floored. ‘When will I be able to see you again?’

Magnus looked up from where he had grabbed Alec’s free hand, casually pressing small kisses to his knuckles. ‘What do you mean?’

Alec shrugged. ‘Well, you have all those clients piled up. I have a couple meetings, Clave stuff, making sure the Institute’s running up to standard.’

‘High Warlock of Brooklyn, and the Head of the New York Institute. Such a tragically busy pair,’ Magnus said with a small smile—thinking of how far Alec had come, how he eventually became head of the Institute despite his doubts, made pride swell in Magnus’ chest. ‘My clients won’t take too much time. It’s mostly trivial things; a potion or a spell.’

Alec always found Magnus calling potions and spells  _ trivial  _ to be amusing; after hearing talk from other warlocks, a few Shadowhunters and even from Magnus himself, he’d learned that the spells Magnus would perform were anything but simple. His meetings with representatives from Idris seemed boring in comparison, and Alec would gladly spend hours listening to Magnus talk about his day instead. ‘My meetings are spread out over a couple days, so I’ll be done by Friday morning. We can go somewhere then, if you want?’

‘There’ll be a tempura bar calling our names in Tokyo whenever we’re done,’ Magnus said, placing a gentle hand over Alec’s chest.

‘You spoil me,’ Alec grinned, leaning in to capture Magnus’ lips for what seemed like the millionth time that night, just as stars started to appear in the sky.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus’ phonograph was playing, each song crackling with authenticity. Alec didn’t know the tune, but it was repetitive and easy to follow. Not that that made this any easier; for all the demons he’d killed, all the difficult decisions he’d had to make, dancing was still terrifying.

But yet, here he was. It had all happened quickly; he was reading a book on the sofa one minute, and with a moment’s notice Magnus was there, grabbing his hands and hauling him to his feet. With a flick of his wrist, music flooded the room. After a bit of awkward maneuvering and a decade’s worth of protests, Alec ended up with his hands at Magnus’ waist and Magnus gripping his shoulders. Their foreheads were pressed together, and they were both absentmindedly smiling, eyes closed. 

But soon, the movements became slightly tedious. Alec started rubbing Magnus’ sides, his hands running up and down the cool fabric of his shirt. Magnus laughed quietly, blindly reaching down to cover one of Alec’s hands.

‘Keep your form, Alexander,’ Magnus teased, committed to holding Alec’s hand in place. ‘I’ll make a professional dancer out of you yet.’

‘We go to Pandemonium, Magnus, not Catherine Palace.’

Magnus open his eyes after a moment, just to take Alec in; the way he stood unbearably close, relaxed in Magnus’ presence.

‘Catherine Palace? I knew you were more than a pretty face.’

And then Alec laughed, a gentle thing, and his eyes fluttered open. He watched Magnus from behind long lashes, mouth slightly parted with the dumbstruck expression he always seemed to carry. Magnus matched his gaze, and the two savoured the moment. The rest of reality was blurred out, save for bedraggled hair and smiles so bright that the sun felt outdone.

‘You’re, uh…’ Alec took in the little details in Magnus’ face, and watched him smile, his eyes crinkling. Knowing full well that he could spot Magnus’ face in a crowd of thousands didn’t stop Alec from feeling breathless at the sight, every time. ‘Wow.’

‘Very eloquent,’ Magnus joked, but his tone was soft. He slowly and absentmindedly rubbed patterns into the skin of Alec’s palm. ‘But it’d be rude of me to tease you. That’s the first word that came to mind, when I saw you for the first time. It was like time stopped. From that moment on, I knew I was lost.’

Alec gently nodded, memories flooding in. ‘All I needed was a little motivation to make the right choices.’

Magnus gasped, lifting an eyebrow in a teasing gesture. ‘A  _ little  _ motivation? You insult me, darling. I worked myself to the bone in those few weeks.’

‘And I’m forever grateful for it,’ Alec murmured, moving even closer so that the pair were only mere moments apart. 

They were lingering in time, not yet ready to bridge the distance, but captivated by the tension it would bring. Teetering on the edge, they reminded themselves of the meaning of control, and their willingness to lose it.

And while Alec had control of his body, he let his words run free. He reached up, cupped Magnus’ cheek and ran his thumb across the other man’s cheekbone. ‘You’re beautiful—you know that, right? With or without makeup, inside and out. Just….remember that.’

The words lingered in the room, as if echoing. The music suddenly didn’t matter, and the city outside was still. While their minds were racing, both had one common thought.

_ I’m his, and he’s mine. _

Magnus pushed forward and captured Alec’s mouth in his, soft and slow, and wondered how he could ever fear the world with this man by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: dandymot.tumblr.com


End file.
